President: Gymnastics to be Romania's great hope for Beijing Olympic Games

BUCHAREST, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The hopes of all the Romanians to hear their national anthem played at the Olympic Games in Beijing were connected to gymnasts, said on Tuesday president Traian Basescu.

"You are our great hope for Olympic Games," said Basescu during the ceremony when the members of the gymnastics national team were awarded orders.

The president promised the gymnasts that, if they won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Beijing, he would wait for them at the airport.

Basescu added that a victory of the women's gymnastics team would be a confirmation of the fact that the Romanian gymnastics school stayed the same.

"A new generation has come today and the talent of the children, of the young people in Romania is again quite conspicuous," he said.

"I was extremely happy when hearing of your success in the European championships and it was not only my happiness, it was the happiness of all the Romanians. Besides the happiness of the moment, there is the hope for the future and this hope is connected to the Olympic Games in Beijing," also added Basescu.

The president on Tuesday awarded the Sports Merit Order to the gymnasts in the Romanian national team, which came first in the European championships in France, where they reaped five medals: two gold, two silver and one bronze.

Basescu also awarded an order to the main coach of the team, Nicolae Forminte, and the members of the entire technical staff.

After the ceremony Romania's president drank a glass of champagne with the five gymnasts, Sandra Izbasa, Steliana Nistor, Ana Maria Tamarjan, Cerasela Patrascu and Gabriela Dragoi, and the coaches, after which they had group photographs taken.